Comparison of HAL to Celebrity

We have never sailed HAL. We have sailed many others, but we have liked Celebrity the best. However we are thinking of trying HAL because we are wondering about the food, entertainment, service... The service is great on Celebrity, but we are not as happy with so much sea food and lamb & pork on Celebrity. Also the entertainment is not as good as it used to be. We like clean comedy and classical music or Band music , real talent. Can anyone tell me if HAL could be right for us?

We have sailed both HAL and Celebrity numerous times, and there is definite advantages to both. We love the wrap around promenade on the HAL ships and think the service is better, but prefer the selection of drinks and some of the entertainment of X better. We have also been disappointed by the quality of the food on both but then found next time on the same brand the food great.

We now choose our cruises on the itinerary and price, as you will always find differences good and bad between the cruise lines, but for my money overall HAL is still my preferred line. If you find an itinerary for the right price definitely give HAL a go.

You just dropped into the ongoing debate about HAL "entertainment" - it is not HAL's strong point but for many HAL cruisers that is okay because they cruise with HAL to travel to its unique destinations more than simply being entertained on board. Showroom entertainment consists of cast shows of some novelty and costuming, and various solo acts that change during the voyage. Hopefully no "blue" comedians but we have not been to them in a while so I don't know if they are still more "family entertainment".

However, it does have a range of very reasonable musical options - always a good and often excellent classical duo in a very comfortable lounge setting - classically trained piano and violin. This too is also changing on some of the ships to be "Lincoln Center Live with larger classical ensembles. However, part of the HAL tradition is to provide a classical music option.

There are various forms of a piano bars for more popular sing along, but this format is changing on various ships to a "dealing piano" format. There is still some more traditional ball room dance music in one of the bars, and the larger ships now have BBKing groups for a livelier dance and listening format.

So HAL is also in flux with its entertainment options. Service level from the primarily Indonesian and Filipino crew has always been a strength of HAL ships - we love them. Food is good with enough variety to generally make everyone happy, though we could use more pork and lamb instead of fish, chicken and beef. (Grass is greener?) But there are very good vegetarian options, pasta and international dishes that reflect the Indonesian and Filipino heritage of the crew members.

Baked goods excellent and there are also various speciality restaurants, again depending on which ship - the larger ones obviously have more options than the smaller ones. Which hits one of the biggest differences between HAL and most Celebrity ships - HAL ships will be smaller and there for more limited in the range and variety of offerings. We personally like the comfortable feel of the smaller ships.

We have never sailed Celebrity so I can't compare the two, but most find HAL and Celebrity are more alike than different, but different enough to make a difference depending on one's tastes and expectations. How helpful is that? (Not much, I agree). But if you are looking for upgraded entertainment, I suspect HAL will not work for you. If you are looking for a more traditional cruise travel experience, then HAL should work out just fine.

Many similarities. Both have/are going through cutbacks. IMHO it comes down to personal preference.

All being equal, we would go Celebrity. Two reasons. Celebrity Solstice class ships are our all time favourite. Second is dining venues. More venues, more choices, far better hours of operation.

For us service is a draw. Food and entertainment so variable withing in each cruise line and between ships.

HAL has some great itineraries.

Opinions from my one Celebrity Cruise experience, a 14 day Caribbean cruise on Celebrity Eclipse:

Tuscan Grill: Enjoyed a lunch and dinner there; Pinnacle Grill does not favorably compare except for lunch.

Main Showroom entertainment: 2 of 3 shows were weird, in my opinion, with too loud music. Music in other venues was enjoyable. We had the benefit of Perry Grant as an entertainer; I enjoy him while others do not.

Service was at the HAL level.

A standard veranda stateroom's design with storage cabinets over the bed where one has to stand on the bed to access them: that person(s) must have failed their design classes!

MDR Cuisine: mostly good, but I do prefer the tweaks HAL Chefs seem to apply to most of their food offerings.

Lido Restaurant area: This was my first experience with a variety of stations spread over the Restaurant area. It took several days to learn the pattern. I prefer what HAL has done with the Marketplace Concept. Quality/taste/etc/ of their Lido food was good. Table clearing seemed to be an issue during very busy times.

Sunset Bar at the aft end of the ship: An absolutely great place to be when one is sailing from a port!

I prefer the arrangement/location/size of elevators on all of the HAL ships to those of the Solstice Class. I spent too much time waiting in a foyer for an empty elevator to arrive.

Prior to dinner time, some Bars were very crowded and hard to find a seat. Drinks, however, were well prepared.

My stateroom had a truly great interactive TV--far better than anything HAL had at the time. HAL is upgrading to a similar situation on some--maybe all--of their ships. My most recent cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam had such and I was very pleased with it.

Fellow guests seem similar as on HAL.

Decor: the ship was beautiful with modern decor. I liked it as something different.

Ship stability: Excellent even in choppy seas with lots of wind.

Disembarking Celebrity Eclipse at Pier 25 in Port Everglades was the most difficult of any cruise that I have experienced. It was so bad that I wrote to Michael Bailey, the CEO of Celebrity Cruises at the time. I received an acknowledgement from Mr. Bailey that Celebrity was aware of the issues at that terminal and were attempting to address them. (I don't think much has changed since my cruise.)

We are four star on HAL and Elite on X and find them more alike than different. Entertainment is not the strong suit of either, but HAL's seems to be more of what the OP is looking for...

Service is great on both lines. I have never had a serious complaint on HAL but have had several with X over the years.

I, too, would choose based on price and itinerary, but suggest OP give HAL a try!

Thank you to everyone for all the details!

We will look at HAL and itineries and see what happens down the road.

We have done 21 X cruises, with 22 coming next month. We have only done 1 HAL cruise, Westerdam, and enjoyed it very much. The lines are very similar; but X does have the nicer ships. However, I have been wanting to go back on HAL since our first one. It is just a very comfortable cruise experience for us.

Being Elite Plus on X provides a lot of benefits. We will be going on the HAL Zandaam 22 day SA/Antarctica cruise in January, rather than the 14 day one on Infinity. Having 4 days in Antarctica with HAL rather than just 2 with X, makes a huge difference. I do like the longer more diverse itineraries with HAL and will be doing more cruising on HAL in the future. Plus, the HAL cruise was actually a tad cheaper with 8 more cruising days. I have also booked another cruise this year on the Nieuw Amsterdam, to try out one of their newer ships. I will try a Pinnacle Class one next year.

Try HAL, if for nothing else, to experience a different line. I think you will like HAL.

We love both lines. I would say the food & service is pretty neck & neck, with both lines providing great service and mostly wonderful food. One thing that I really appreciate about HAL is the aft pool area. It's open on 3 sides, and you really feel you're at sea. That's something I miss when I'm sitting at the pool on Celebrity's ships. Also, I love having a tub, and I don't want to flip for a suite in order to get one; HAL's ships have tubs in most of the outside cabins (the older ships, anyway). Itineraries are not even close; HAL has lots better choices of itineraries, especially if you're looking to book very long sailings or back to backs. They offer many "collector" sailings that combine cruises into one cruise, so you don't have to fuss with trying to get the same cabin for your back to back. The song & dance shows aren't a strong point for either line, in my opinion, but we've really been enjoying the BB King bands & the string quartets, duets, and quintets on HAL ships. I would think that if you've been enjoying X, you're almost certain to find something you'll like about HAL.

We have never sailed HAL. We have sailed many others, but we have liked Celebrity the best. However we are thinking of trying HAL because we are wondering about the food, entertainment, service... The service is great on Celebrity, but we are not as happy with so much sea food and lamb & pork on Celebrity. Also the entertainment is not as good as it used to be. We like clean comedy and classical music or Band music , real talent. Can anyone tell me if HAL could be right for us?

Hi there! This might help: http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2238.

This used to be an ez question to answer (for us), but recent changes/cut backs are really impacting our answer. Up until about 28 months ago, we were very down on HAL because of numerous cut backs and changes. Meanwhile, we continues to cruise with Celebrity which always pleased us in many ways. But then Celebrity brought in a new CEO (from RCI) named Lisa Lutoff-Perlo (often referred to as LLP on various blogs) who had her own agenda. It now appears that LLC is determined to continue cut-backs (to save money) while implementing large price increases. The price increases are often masked by offering various promotions.

Meanwhile, we had suffered through numerous HAL cut-backs which did not make us happy campers. But our last two HAL cruises (a 62 day Grand Med and a 24 day Baltic/Icelandic) have shown some interesting changes...including improvements. So if the OP has asked us to compare HAL to Celebrity a year ago...we would have been very kind to Celebrity. But now, we think the trend favors HAL....perhaps big time. We have upcoming cruises with both lines (38 days on HAL and 21 on Celebrity) and we shall see :).

And we will add another observation. Like many HAL cruisers, we have been at this cruise game for many decades. But the industry is dynamic...and we like to keep up with the trends. The latest trend is for a "ship within a ship" concept. Cunard has long had this on some of their vessels where paying more got you a special dining venue and a private sun deck. Then NCL developed their Haven Suite concept which took the Cunard idea to the next level. And now, MSC has implemented their MSC Yacht Club concept which seems to be an expansion on the Haven Club concept. Celebrity has countered with their own ideas (such as Luminae, Michaels, etc) but they lack the true ship within a ship physical layout. On some MSC vessels we are talking about a private multi floor area (with its own private elevator) and dedicated MDR with its own menus.

So where are we today? Well, the ship within a ship concept is often a much better option (financially) then booking one of the ultra luxury lines (Regent, Seabourn, Sea Dream, etc). Meanwhile, LLP seems hell bent on turning Celebrity into something less then it has been. Meanwhile, HAL continues to be ....well HAL....except they are playing with a few innovations. And we should not forget Princess.....who was really impressed us on our last two cruises (int he past 18 months). At one time we had given up on Princess (because of cut backs) but now...we think they are back.

Hank

Hlitner,

Thanks for your most interesting post. You have provided much food for thought.

As to Celebrity, I have been wondering about the "revolving door" at the CEO level for Celebrity. Why is this happening? Mr. Bayley was doing a good job, I thought. Then, Ms. Lutoff-Perlo appears on the scene. I know Mr. Bayley is still with RCI, but why did RCI Chairman/CEO Fain make the change.

Thank you. I am really pleased with all the responses! Thanks too for the link, that is good!

I would never cruise on a ship with such an extensive separation of the classes as Cunard or MSC. Why would you say anything good about a "ship within a ship"???? To laugh at the people who spend less money? I fail to understand why this is better than a separate luxury cruise line.

As an alternative perspective, I would prefer that the entire ship be at the elevated level if I were inclined to pay a premium fare and not just a small portion of the ship.

igraf

.... The latest trend is for a "ship within a ship" concept. Cunard has long had this on some of their vessels where paying more got you a special dining venue and a private sun deck. Then NCL developed their Haven Suite concept which took the Cunard idea to the next level. And now, MSC has implemented their MSC Yacht Club concept which seems to be an expansion on the Haven Club concept. Celebrity has countered with their own ideas (such as Luminae, Michaels, etc) but they lack the true ship within a ship physical layout. On some MSC vessels we are talking about a private multi floor area (with its own private elevator) and dedicated MDR with its own menus.

 

So where are we today? Well, the ship within a ship concept is often a much better option (financially) then booking one of the ultra luxury lines (Regent, Seabourn, Sea Dream, etc). ...

 

Hank

Why would you say anything good about a "ship within a ship"???? To laugh at the people who spend less money?

Or to laugh at people who spend more :D I'd never pay Haven prices to sail on NCL.

I would never cruise on a ship with such an extensive separation of the classes as Cunard or MSC. Why would you say anything good about a "ship within a ship"???? To laugh at the people who spend less money? I fail to understand why this is better than a separate luxury cruise line.

 

As an alternative perspective, I would prefer that the entire ship be at the elevated level if I were inclined to pay a premium fare and not just a small portion of the ship.

 

igraf

Not to stray too off topic but I must defend my beloved Cunard. Many people get the wrong impression about Cunard's "class system" [as it is so often called]. The Grills suites on Cunard get you a separate dining room with better food choices, a larger [sometimes MUCH larger] stateroom and a very small private lounge and sundeck [even HAL has the Neptune lounge and breakfast in PG for their suite pax]. Every other area of the ship is open to everyone. It is hardly a "ship within a ship" like NCL's Haven or MSC's Yacht Club and based upon experience with both Cunard and NCL, I find Cunard to be much less "segregated" than NCL's Haven [i've never sailed in suites on either line btw]. On Cunard, many, if not most, Grills passengers spend the majority of their time [apart from meals] with the masses in Britannia class. The grand, open spaces on QM2 are quite the sight to behold and are open to all passengers. I've found Grills pax that I've interacted with on QM2 to be very friendly, worldly people who often just like a larger space with enhanced food offerings. Most of the time you would not even know they are in the Grills unless you ask about their dinner plans. Many come to pre-dinner drinks in the Commodore Club with the rest of us and don't cocoon themselves in their larger staterooms.

The fact is, almost every line offers enhanced amenities to suite passengers. The exception may be Carnival where a suite gets you little more than a larger stateroom.

A choice of staterooms, plus perhaps extra goodies within the stateroom, is all that it should be. I can put up with a small separate lounge. A separate main dining room with different food is going too far for me.

Some people will compare this to first class airline travel. Not the same thing as I am not spending a week or more of my vacation on the airplane.

igraf

.....The fact is, almost every line offers enhanced amenities to suite passengers. The exception may be Carnival where a suite gets you little more than a larger stateroom.

I do like the idea of the "included" Celebrity separate spa cuisine sit-down dining room, if you choose that class of cabins.

I would never cruise on a ship with such an extensive separation of the classes as Cunard or MSC. Why would you say anything good about a "ship within a ship"???? To laugh at the people who spend less money? I fail to understand why this is better than a separate luxury cruise line.

 

As an alternative perspective, I would prefer that the entire ship be at the elevated level if I were inclined to pay a premium fare and not just a small portion of the ship.

 

igraf

This sounds like a bit of unthinking egalitarianism. Airlines offer first, business and coach classes; beach hotels have things like "ocean view" and "garden view"; theatres have balcony, mezzanine and orchestra seating.

What can possibly be wrong with offering different levels of accommodation and service for people willing to pay more (or wanting to pay less) for what they want?

Thank you. I am really pleased with all the responses! Thanks too for the link, that is good!

Instead of looking for a lateral move, why not step up to premium cruise lines like Oceania. Even Azamara would be a vast improvement on HAL and Celebrity (and not at the cost of lines like Crystal or Regent).

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I would never cruise on a ship with such an extensive separation of the classes as Cunard or MSC. Why would you say anything good about a "ship within a ship"???? To laugh at the people who spend less money? I fail to understand why this is better than a separate luxury cruise line.

 

As an alternative perspective, I would prefer that the entire ship be at the elevated level if I were inclined to pay a premium fare and not just a small portion of the ship.

 

igraf

Amen. Sure, you can have a separate area. But, when you walk out of that area on quite a few of the lines that have them, you're still on a mass market monstrosity with a thundering herd of people in an amusement park atmosphere with mediocre food, cheap amenities and wannabe service (all the stuff that scares away so many potential cruisers).

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What can possibly be wrong with offering different levels of accommodation and service for people willing to pay more (or wanting to pay less) for what they want?

I don't know if there's anything "wrong" with it, but it is not the way I choose to cruise. All of my cruise experience (of some 40+ years) has been in a fairly egalitarian environment. When you paid extra for a suite, that's what you got: a suite. That's what you are paying extra for -- the space, which is at a premium onboard ships. I don't know why suite passengers now have to have many other "special" baubles dangled in front of them.

Frankly, I would not choose to travel on cruise lines that go the route of MSC or NCL with a separate "ship within a ship" concept. Why not just upgrade to a better overall ship experience?

(I also don't get the comparison between traveling on cruise ships versus airplanes. Last time I checked, a ship is not a plane.)

I just looked at an Oceania 14-day Holiday cruise from 19 Dec - 2 January, 2018. Cruise-only fare in an ocean view room is $5,999. A 13-day holiday cruise on Crystal from 22 Dec - 5 January, 2018 in an ocean view room costs $6,040. On Oceania, you get:

 

 

• Prestige Tranquility Bed, an Oceania Cruises exclusive, with 1,000-thread-count linens
  
• Refrigerated mini-bar with free and unlimited soft drinks and bottled water replenished daily
  
• Full-size bathtub
  
• Complimentary 24-hour room service
  
• Signature Belgian chocolates with nightly turndown service
  
• Plush cotton towels
  
• Thick cotton robes and slippers
  
• Bulgari amenities
  
• Handheld hair dryer
  
• Flat-screen television with live satellite news and programming
  
• DVD player with extensive media library
  
• Wireless Internet access
  

On Crystal you get:

• Complimentary select fine wines, champagne and premium spirits, as well as authentic, regional, local and seasonal wine and beer where available
  
• Complimentary gratuities for all dining, bar, housekeeping and butler staff
  
• Complimentary select fine wines, champagne and premium spirits
  
• Complimentary Wi-Fi and Internet access. Restrictions apply
  
• Complimentary evening of specialty restaurant dining at least once in Silk Road or the Sushi Bar celebrating the cuisine of Nobu Matsuhisa, and at least once in Prego.
  
• Complimentary enrichment via the innovative Creative Learning Institute® and Computer University@Sea® with classes in diverse topics such as world affairs, wellness, art, wine appreciation, digital photography and iPad filmmaking.
  
• Complimentary fitness and Wellness at Sea® programs with classes in yoga, mat Pilates, Spinning®, and so much more!
  

 

Guess which line I'm looking at? :)

Holland America - suite - 14 day $1,700-$2,300 over the holidays in Dec 2017

Crystal - $464 a day- ocean view

Oceania - $428 a day - ocean view

HAL - $164 a day - suite

Whatever.

Holland America - suite - 14 day $1,700-$2,300 over the holidays in Dec 2017

Crystal - $464 a day- ocean view

Oceania - $428 a day - ocean view

HAL - $164 a day - suite

 

Whatever.

Nice comparison prices for O and Crystal. I'd still look to O (with the addition of O Life amenities and it's air credit for long haul start/end ports). Though O would come out higher priced, that airfare/credit to wherever would begin to balance back the price difference.

Add my top O selling TA OBC and O loyalty items to the mix along with highly restrictive smoking policies and a top flight culinary lab school along with dining fare consistently rated by many professional reviewers as "the best food at sea" (along with all specialty restaurants at no extra cost) and my choice will be clear.

However, of course, people's tastes and preferences do differ.

BTW, I've left HAL out of the equation. Whether or not you realistically increase their price by adding the beverages, specialty restaurants, airfare, et al., there remains the issue of mediocre food et al, a real deal breaker for me.

PS: just checked my sources- drop $500 off the O published price for "private sale" on that cruise as well as add gratuities from TAs consortium on that cruise.

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Nice comparison prices for O and Crystal. I'd still look to O (with the addition of O Life amenities and it's air credit for long haul start/end ports). Though O would come out higher priced, that airfare/credit to wherever would begin to balance back the price difference.

Add my top O selling TA OBC and O loyalty items to the mix along with highly restrictive smoking policies and a top flight culinary lab school along with dining fare consistently rated by many professional reviewers as "the best food at sea" (along with all specialty restaurants at no extra cost) and my choice will be clear.

However, of course, people's tastes and preferences do differ.

BTW, I've left HAL out of the equation. Whether or not you realistically increase their price by adding the beverages, specialty restaurants, airfare, et al., there remains the issue of mediocre food et al, a real deal breaker for me.

 

PS: just checked my sources- drop $500 off the O published price for "private sale" on that cruise as well as add gratuities from TAs consortium on that cruise.

 

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$600 a day extra per couple for "better food", Oceania had better deliver the goods.

Our own experience with Crystal led us to conclude they offer more froufrou than substance for their higher prices, along with smaller, cramped and poorly laid out ocean view cabins (vs the HAL suites for the price).

High end decor is their winning card. But for that extra amount I could redo my own house instead of enjoying the luxe details on Crystal for a few days. Go with what makes you happy. We ourselves have gotten past the point where we would eat up any alleged culinary differences.

But at one time that would have been more tempting an option. No longer. Plain and simple now, particularly when taking longer cruises is essential for us. But for shorter cruises, have a blow out - a $600 a day extra blow out because that is what vacations are for. Enjoy your cruise.